Sweden has a small, open economy that is dependent to a large extent on global demand for products and services. The Swedish financial market is strongly linked to the international capital market. As such, there is substantial interest in following its economic and financial development to understand the challenges and opportunities ahead. The Export Credit Trends Survey is published twice per year, in June and December, only in Swedish.

From the Export Credit Trends Survey June 2024

Export order intake

The export order intake differs depending on the size of the company. Currently, the larger companies see a decrease. However, larger companies expect a substantial increase in the coming year, compared to the percentage who believed in a rise in the autumn survey. For the smaller companies, the situation is reversed – more companies currently see a small increase, but expect a decline over the next 12 months.

Employment projections

The index of employment in Sweden and abroad during the next 12 months has, unlike last autumn, increased – but only for the large companies, which, however, experienced a substantial decrease last autumn and are now seeing a recovery.

Climate impact

The spring’s Export Credit Trends Survey shows that the challenging global situation of recent years has not dampened Swedish exporters’ focus on sustainability. Among other things, the companies make demands on their suppliers to a greater extent than in the last survey when it comes to human rights, anti-corruption, and working conditions.
The percentage of larger companies that in the next twelve months plan investments in their operations to reduce climate impact is certainly unchanged since the autumn’s measurement, but among the smaller companies, a clear increase is visible.

NATO membership

A fifth of all Swedish export companies believe that export opportunities will improve in connection with NATO membership. However, three quarters of all Swedish export companies do not believe that membership changes the opportunities.